# Codex usage limits explained, and what to do when you run out Authors: AutoRouter Published: 2026-10-23T02:20:01.450Z Reading time: 8 min Canonical: https://autorouter.com/blog/codex-usage-limits Publisher: AutoRouter, the Mac app for Codex and Claude Code (https://autorouter.com) > As of October 2026, OpenAI estimates that ChatGPT Plus and standard Business seats get 15 to 160 local Codex messages on GPT-6.1 Sol per five-hour window, with weekly limits that may also apply, while ChatGPT Pro has no five-hour limit and no published message counts. At the limit, Codex finishes the turn it is on, and then you can wait for the reset, buy ChatGPT credits, upgrade, or sign in with an API key at API rates. AutoRouter, the Mac app for Codex and Claude Code, picks the model for each Codex turn so the ChatGPT plan goes to the work that needs it. As of October 2026, OpenAI estimates that ChatGPT Plus and standard Business seats get 5 to 45 local Codex messages per five-hour window on GPT-6 Astra, 15 to 160 on GPT-6.1 Sol and 350 to 3,000 on GPT-6 Luna, and says weekly limits may also apply ([OpenAI](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing#what-are-the-usage-limits-for-my-plan)). ChatGPT Pro, at $100, $200 or $500 a month, currently has no five-hour limit and no published message counts. At the limit, Codex finishes the turn it is working on; then you can wait, buy ChatGPT credits, upgrade, or sign in with an API key and pay API rates. [AutoRouter, the Mac app for Codex and Claude Code](https://autorouter.com), picks the model for each Codex turn so the ChatGPT plan goes to the work that needs it. ## What are the Codex usage limits on each ChatGPT plan? Codex limits depend on your ChatGPT plan and the model you pick, and OpenAI publishes them as estimated ranges of local messages per five-hour window. Its [pricing page](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing#what-are-the-usage-limits-for-my-plan) says usage also depends on the size of the task and whether it runs locally or in the cloud. Local messages, cloud chats and ChatGPT Work all draw on one allowance. | Plan (October 2026) | Price | Codex limits | After the limit | | ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------ | | Plus | [$20 a month](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing) | Per five hours: GPT-6 Astra 5 to 45, GPT-6.1 Sol 15 to 160, GPT-6 Sol 15 to 150, GPT-6 Luna 350 to 3,000 local messages. Weekly limits may also apply. | Buy credits without changing plan | | Pro 100, Pro 200, Pro 500 | [$100, $200 or $500 a month](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9793128-about-chatgpt-pro-tiers) | No five-hour limit. Per-model allowances by tier, with no published counts. | Buy credits without changing plan | | Business | [$20 per user a month billed annually (2+ users), $25 billed monthly](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing) | A standard seat gets the same ranges as Plus. | Use the workspace's shared credits, if the owner bought them | | Enterprise and Edu | Contact sales | With flexible pricing, no fixed rate limits. Without it, Plus's per-seat limits for most features. | Owners enable overages or buy more credits | OpenAI's [Pro tiers article](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9793128-about-chatgpt-pro-tiers) (updated October 2026) says Pro 200 includes more usage than Pro 100 and Pro 500 the most. New Pro 200 subscriptions get a lower allowance than before at the same price. If you had Pro 200 at any point from September 22 to 10 a.m. Pacific on September 29, 2026, you keep the previous allowance through October 29, 2026. ChatGPT Free and Go ($8 a month) plans also include Codex, with no published ranges. ## How do Codex usage limits reset? Codex usage counts against a five-hour window, and weekly limits may also apply. Your reset times are in the [usage dashboard](https://chatgpt.com/codex/settings/usage) or, in an active Codex CLI session, `/status` ([OpenAI](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing#where-can-i-see-my-current-usage-limits)). OpenAI doesn't say whether the five-hour window starts with your first message or runs on a fixed clock, so take the reset time from the dashboard. On ChatGPT Pro, a model can still become unavailable until its own allowance resets; OpenAI says to use another available model meanwhile ([OpenAI](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9793128-about-chatgpt-pro-tiers)). ## What happens when you hit the Codex usage limit? Codex finishes the turn it is working on, subject to fair-use limits, and the limit banner then shows your plan's options: add credits, apply an available reset, upgrade, or wait ([OpenAI](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11369540-using-codex-with-your-chatgpt-plan)). By plan: - On ChatGPT Plus and Pro, you can buy credits and keep working without upgrading. Included usage is spent first, then credits ([OpenAI](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/12642688-using-credits-for-flexible-usage-in-chatgpt-personal-plans)). - On Business, the feature is blocked when your included usage runs out and the workspace has no credits, until an owner adds more ([OpenAI](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11487671-flexible-pricing-for-the-enterprise-edu-and-business-plans)). - On Enterprise and Edu, advanced features pause when the shared credit pool is empty unless owners enable overages or buy more. On agreements billed in US dollars, ask your admin about the workspace budget. ## What are your options when Codex runs out? You can wait, buy more usage from OpenAI, move to a bigger plan, or move the session to API billing. AutoRouter publishes this blog, and its option is the last row. | Option | Cost (October 2026) | Good to know | | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Wait for the reset | Nothing | The reset time is in the usage dashboard and `/status`. | | Buy ChatGPT credits | Set by plan or agreement; [OpenAI's pricing page](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing#token-rates) lists no purchase price | GPT-6.1 Sol uses 50 credits per million input tokens and 250 per million output. Credits last 12 months. | | Use a banked reset | Comes with some Plus and Pro referral offers | Refreshes the five-hour and weekly windows ([OpenAI](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11369540-using-codex-with-your-chatgpt-plan)). | | Upgrade to ChatGPT Pro | From $100 a month | No five-hour limit; per-model allowances still apply. | | Sign in with an API key | API rates, such as GPT-6.1 Sol at $2 per million input and $10 per million output tokens ([OpenAI](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/pricing)) | Local sessions only; no cloud features such as GitHub code review or Slack. | | AutoRouter Pro | $20 a month with $20 of included usage | Keeps turns going from included usage until the ChatGPT plan resets. | With an API key, Codex bills standard API pricing to your OpenAI Platform account in place of your plan's included usage ([OpenAI](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/auth#sign-in-with-an-api-key)). To switch the Codex CLI to a key and back: ```shell # Sign in with an API key (billed at API rates) printenv OPENAI_API_KEY | codex login --with-api-key # Check which sign-in is active codex login status # Return to your ChatGPT plan through the browser sign-in codex logout codex login ``` ## How do you make Codex usage limits last longer? The model matters most: on OpenAI's own estimates, a Plus window holds about 20 times as many GPT-6 Luna messages as GPT-6.1 Sol messages, and Luna's credit rates are exactly a twentieth of GPT-6.1 Sol's for input and output ([OpenAI](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing#token-rates)). OpenAI [recommends](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/models#recommended-models) GPT-6.1 Sol for complex coding and Luna for focused, repeatable tasks. Switch with `/model` in the CLI or the model control under the composer. Here is the arithmetic for one Plus window, assuming equal-size messages. Move a quarter of your messages, such as commit messages and renames, from GPT-6.1 Sol to Luna, and the window stretches about 1.3 times (0.75 + 0.25 ÷ 20 = 0.76 of the usage). Move half and it stretches about 1.9 times (0.5 + 0.5 ÷ 20 = 0.53). OpenAI warns that similar-looking tasks can use different amounts, so treat these as estimates. [Which tasks hold up on cheaper models](/blog/quick-tasks-on-cheaper-models) covers where the line falls. Fast mode uses included limits at 2.5 times the Standard rate, so GPT-6.1 Sol's 15 to 160 messages become about 6 to 64; `/fast` toggles it ([OpenAI](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/agent-configuration/speed#fast-mode)). OpenAI's other [tips](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing#what-can-i-do-to-make-my-usage-limits-last-longer): - Keep prompts precise and give Codex only the relevant files. - Keep AGENTS.md small, and nest AGENTS.md files in large repositories to control how much context each task loads. - Disable MCP servers you aren't using, since each one adds context to every message. - Start with the default reasoning effort and raise it only when a task needs deeper planning ([OpenAI](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/models)). ## Can a router make the ChatGPT plan last longer in Codex? Yes. AutoRouter, the Mac app for Codex and Claude Code, works out how hard each Codex turn is and sends it to a model that fits, so hard work gets the best model and quick work doesn't burn the plan. In Codex, OpenAI models run on your ChatGPT plan. Hard work goes to the most capable model your plans cover; everything else goes to the model that costs you least, which is often your plan or a low-cost open model. In the landing page's illustrations, a test that only fails on CI goes to GPT-6 Astra on the ChatGPT plan, and a commit message goes to a low-cost open model so the plan isn't touched. The full order is in [how AutoRouter picks a model](/blog/how-autorouter-picks-a-model). When the ChatGPT plan hits its limit, AutoRouter Pro ($20 a month with $20 of included usage) keeps those turns going from the included usage until the plan resets, and asks you to top up if that runs out too. Paid models bill at the provider's price plus 10%, included usage resets monthly without rolling over, and AutoRouter credits you buy never expire. Every turn shows its model, what it cost and why. AutoRouter routes only while it is the model selected, and it sometimes misjudges how hard a task is; you can rate the pick when it does. It runs on macOS 14 or later with the Codex app and CLI, and is in beta. ## Questions ### Does starting a new Codex chat reset the limit? No. OpenAI says a new chat does not reset your usage limits, and Support can't reset ChatGPT or Codex limits either ([OpenAI](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11369540-using-codex-with-your-chatgpt-plan)). ### Do ChatGPT credits expire? Yes. Personal-plan credits are valid for 12 months from purchase ([OpenAI](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/12642688-using-credits-for-flexible-usage-in-chatgpt-personal-plans)). Business credits also last 12 months, and Enterprise and Edu terms are set in the Order Form ([OpenAI](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11487671-flexible-pricing-for-the-enterprise-edu-and-business-plans)). They are separate from OpenAI API credits. ### Does ChatGPT Work count against Codex limits? Yes. OpenAI says ChatGPT Work and Codex share pricing, credits and usage limits, and on Plus and Pro, ChatGPT for Excel draws on that allowance too ([OpenAI](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing)). ChatGPT's file upload, image and voice limits are separate and don't apply to Codex ([OpenAI](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11369540-using-codex-with-your-chatgpt-plan)). ### Does Claude Code have the same kind of limits? Claude Code has a similar structure with its own limits, set by Anthropic: a rolling five-hour session window on every Claude plan, plus weekly limits on paid plans ([Anthropic](https://claude.com/pricing)). [How Claude Code usage limits work](/blog/claude-code-usage-limits) covers them. ## Sources - OpenAI: [Codex pricing](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing), [Codex models](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/models), [Codex speed modes](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/agent-configuration/speed), [Codex authentication](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/auth) and [API pricing](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/pricing), checked October 22, 2026 - OpenAI Help Center, updated October 2026: [About ChatGPT Pro tiers](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9793128-about-chatgpt-pro-tiers), [Using Codex with your ChatGPT plan](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11369540-using-codex-with-your-chatgpt-plan), [Using credits for flexible usage (personal plans)](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/12642688-using-credits-for-flexible-usage-in-chatgpt-personal-plans) and [Flexible pricing for Enterprise, Edu and Business](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11487671-flexible-pricing-for-the-enterprise-edu-and-business-plans) - Anthropic: [Claude pricing](https://claude.com/pricing), checked October 22, 2026 ## Read next - [Subscription or API: which is cheaper for coding agents?](https://autorouter.com/blog/subscription-vs-api-pricing.md): A Claude or ChatGPT plan costs less than paying per token once a month of your coding would cost more than the plan at API list prices, and the plan's limits still hold that work. As of October 22, 2026, Anthropic reports Claude Code averaging $150 to $250 per developer per month at API prices across enterprise deployments, against $20 for Claude Pro and $100 or $200 for Max. AutoRouter, the Mac app for Codex and Claude Code, uses the ChatGPT and Claude plans you already pay for first and bills other models at the provider's price plus 10%. - [How to send quick coding tasks to a cheaper model](https://autorouter.com/blog/quick-tasks-on-cheaper-models.md): Commit messages, renames and one-line shell commands don't need a frontier model. At list prices on October 22, 2026, Claude Haiku 5.5 costs a fortieth of Claude Opus 5.5 per uncached token on prompts up to 100,000 tokens, and GPT-6 Luna costs a hundredth of GPT-6 Astra. You can run those turns on a small model yourself in Claude Code or Codex, or let AutoRouter, the Mac app for Codex and Claude Code, send each quick task to the cheapest capable model, which is often your ChatGPT or Claude plan or a low-cost open model. - [How to use Claude Code and Codex without a subscription](https://autorouter.com/blog/no-subscription-coding-agents.md): Claude Code runs on a Claude Console account and Codex runs on an OpenAI API key, and both bill per token with no ChatGPT or Claude plan. AutoRouter, the Mac app for Codex and Claude Code, is a third option: AutoRouter Pro costs $20 a month with $20 of included usage and bills paid models at the provider's price plus 10%. On the same models, a direct API key costs less, so Pro comes out ahead only when cheaper models take enough of your turns. Tags: [Codex](https://autorouter.com/blog/tags/codex.md), [Costs](https://autorouter.com/blog/tags/costs.md), [Model routing](https://autorouter.com/blog/tags/model-routing.md) Drafted with AI from the sources linked above, then checked and edited by the AutoRouter team.